That's Personal

Every now and then a book will come along and you feel like it is just speaking right to your soul.  The book so closely mirrors your thoughts and feelings that you could have written it yourself.  Donna Cooner has written not one but two of these books.

The first is Skinny, the story of a high school girl who is morbidly obese and decides to get gastric bypass surgery.  The book chronicles her transformation both inside and out.  What I found most gripping about this book was the inner monologue of the main character-Ever.  Ever gives voice to the dark thoughts that everyone who has ever struggled with weight knows all too well.  As someone who has always been heavier than average, Ever's journey deeply resonated with me.  This book is unflinchingly honest and definitely worth the read.

The second Donna Cooner book is Can't Look Away.  In this book famous beauty blogger Torrey Grey has her world turned upside down when her younger sister is struck and killed by a drunk driver.  I myself have suffered gut wrenching losses due to drunk drivers so I felt Torrey's pain.  I could also resonate with her journey through the guilt and anger and final to a place where she can start to accept her, "new normal."  Moving states and changing schools don't appear to help with this transition but it just might work out in the end.  Yes, this book is sad but that doesn't mean it's not worth reading.  This book is real and honest and sometimes that's just what you need.

Getting personal...that's kids stuff.